Yelp! What should I do with my positive Yelp reviews?

Oct 23, 2015 — 3 min read

New to Yelp? Then you probably know the feeling of getting an awesome review. You can’t wait to call your mom, brag to your mates, and spread the word to the…world. But wait! Knowing how to deal with positive customer reviews is just as important as being able to deal with the negative ones. Here are the basics of how to make the most of your great reviews.

Say thanks

Responding to positive reviews with a personal message is always appreciated by customers. Do it directly from your Yelp account either publicly or privately, and try to do it in a timely fashion. The relationship with your already happy customer will strengthen even further when you show that you actually care about what they think after they paid you.

But don’t go overboard

When you get that all-singing, all-dancing five star review it can be tempting to want to do something special for the customer and offer them freebies or vouchers.

Don’t.

The thank you should be personal, not financial. Done badly, it can end up looking a little like a bribe and may even encourage people to post reviews with the expectation of getting something back in return.

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Stay positive

Somebody loved your exfoliating scrub and the smell of your camomile scented candles but didn’t like the Enya background music?

“It’s no big deal,” says Colleen Curtis VP of European Marketing at Yelp. “Don’t make the mistake of replying and focusing mainly on that one specific area. All you will do is look defensive and end up upsetting someone who was just being honest and was actually praising your company.”

No one likes spam

We’re all keen to have happy customers return to our businesses and build relationships with them. But one easy way to scare them off is by responding to a good review by flooding them with requests to come back in six weeks for a new appointment, try other treatments, or sign up to a mailing list.

This is important. Don’t interpret a thank you as an invite for sending on business proposals. You can ruin the goodwill built up.

Remember, your customers don’t work for you

So you’ve received an awesome review and want the world to know? Of course, it’s natural.

But avoid the mistake of responding by asking the customer to spread the word on Twitter, Facebook and so on. It comes across a little needy and even rude. Marketing your business is your job, not theirs. With that said – if your foot massage is as divine as you think, you should eventually start seeing people buzzing about it online anyway…

Think you’ve got the hang of how to handle positive Yelp reviews? Next up: How to deal with the dreaded negative ones…